


Closure

by Dryerlint



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anal Sex, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Bittersweet Ending, Blow Jobs, Bottom Peter Parker, First Kiss, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Peter Parker, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter is 21, Pining, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tony Stark Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 14:47:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22397860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dryerlint/pseuds/Dryerlint
Summary: For several years, Peter Parker has been followed by a mysterious stranger that shows up during his major milestones. On his 21st birthday, he is determined to find out who his stalker really is. He never expected it to be a man from his past that he never managed to get over.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 17
Kudos: 249
Collections: Spider-Man Public Identity Reveal





	1. Someone You Loved

**Author's Note:**

> Hi people. This is my very first Marvel fanfic and also my first explicit fic, so please be gentle. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The sun was setting on a particularly humid August day as a group of young adults strolled through the entrance of an overly crowded New York nightclub, flashing their IDs to the bouncer looming over the entrance.

The bass of the music could be felt down to their bones as they made their way to a small, private and secluded table in the back of the club. Already tied to one of the chairs was an assortment of gaudy and loud birthday balloons.

The girl in the group had split off from the rest of the group momentarily before returning to the pack along with a tray containing an assortment of colorful shots. She passed out shots to the two others gathered around the table before raising her own glass.

“A toast to Peter Parker, our baby spider all grown up,” MJ cooed.

Peter’s face broke into a big smile as he clinked his glass to hers. “You are literally two months older than me, MJ.”

“And yet infinitely wiser and more mature,” she replied, tossing back the shot in her hand, her face momentarily twisting at the tart taste.

Peter rolled his eyes before following suit with his own drink, tapping the shot on the wooden table showing that its contents had been cleared. “Yep. Just as I suspected,” he said licking his lips. “Alcohol tastes exactly the same at age 21 as it did at age 20. If anything, it may even be less sweet now that it’s missing all its forbidden…ness.”

“Mmm, the sweet taste of forbidden-ness,” Ned mused, cradling his second shot, not having yet reached his 21st birthday.

“You sure you don’t need that in a sippy cup, Neddy bear?” MJ taunted with a pouted lip.

“That’s Mister Neddy bear to you, thank you very much. According to this bad boy, I’m a whopping two years older than you,” he replied, showing off his impressively realistic fake ID. He faked a sigh as he drained the second shot. “This must be what it feels like to be an adult.”

Peter laughed at his friend as MJ just shook her head.

“Thanks for coming out, guys,” Peter said with sincerity in his voice. “I know you guys are all busy doing legitimately adulty things, so I really appreciate you guys making time to hang out tonight.”

His two friends smiled genuinely back at him. Ned patted his shoulder. “Anything for you, dude.”

A lot had changed in Peter’s life over the last handful of years, but at least his friendship with MJ and Ned had remained a constant. Even after he and MJ had mutually decided a romantic relationship wasn’t in the cards for them, the three of them have remained inseparable. They all may have gone to different colleges, but even physical distance couldn’t keep them apart.

They knew that Peter needed them; probably more than they needed Peter (or so he truly believed). Life had not been an easy journey for him unfortunately. He had faced a great deal of loss; his parents, Uncle Ben, Tony…

The last one was still too fresh that the thought made his heart ache painfully in his chest while a lump formed in his throat.

He quickly pushed the thought away, moving his focus back to the entertainment at hand. They were there to celebrate and have fun, after all.

Peter opened his mouth to start speaking again when a waitress suddenly approached their table with a singular drink perched on her serving tray. She set the old-fashioned tumbler filled with an amber colored liquid directly in front of Peter.

“Single malt scotch on the rocks,” she stated, “from that gentleman over…” The waitress turned to point out an individual in the distance but ended up furrowing her eyebrows instead. “That’s strange. He was standing right over there a moment ago.” Her eyes squinted for a moment as her vision panned across the bustling club. After a moment had passed, she shrugged and turned back to the group. “Sorry. Not sure where he went.” Peter stared at the drink hesitantly. “The drink never left my sight, in case you’re concerned about that,” she added before heading back toward the bar.

The three of them stared at the glass sitting on the table before instinctively looking back at each other. In high-pitched falsetto, both MJ and Ned squealed “OOOOOOOH!” as redness radiated on the tip of Peter’s ears.

Without any hesitation, Peter tossed back the drink, letting the smokiness linger on his tongue for a moment before letting it burn down his throat. The sensation helped him ignore for a moment how his arm hair raised on its end as his spider senses alerted him to a nearby concern. He looked at his arms unsurprised, knowing exactly what had caused the tingling. He would deal with that soon enough. For now, though, he wanted to enjoy his night.

“Let’s go dance and pretend like we know what we’re doing!” Peter stated with vigor, hoisting himself out of his seat. The three friends pushed their way through the crowd, letting the atmosphere wash over them. Peter adjusted the device he had in his ears that significantly dulled his auditory senses so he could even fathom being in a place like this. The contacts he had in his eyes had automatically changed to dull the bright neon lights the moment they had walked in the door.

Despite the lack of his mentor’s physical presence, Tony bequeathing a large portion of his personal lab equipment to Peter and the Avenger Facility had greatly helped Peter take over where Tony had left off. Having full reign over Tony’s personal notes as well as the knowledge he gained from his years at MIT had allowed him to make several improvements to his suit and other tools to help with his powers. While others might disagree, Peter firmly believed that the former playboy would have more than approved of Peter’s use of equipment in order to go to a nightclub on his 21st birthday.

The three friends laughed carelessly together as they ungracefully moved on the dancefloor, not worrying how uncoordinated they were with each step. Even MJ, who actually knew how to dance, was tossing her limbs around to match the two boys, throwing her head back in amusement. They ignored any of the passing stares and whispers from onlookers trying to determine if that was ‘really Spider-Man.’

Their night proceeded with a rotation of dancing, drinking, and talking at their reserved table. Anytime Peter was without one of the other two, however, strangers gravitated to him like a moth to the flame. It was a mixture of people wanting selfies with him and people wanting, well, him.

Each and every time he was very flattered and tended to blush profusely. It was a variety of both men and women who would either offer him things ranging from a drink to blowing him in the alley.

Despite a few attractive prospects, Peter had no desire to mingle with either gender. In fact, he had no interest in the potential of having a significant other. He told himself (and Aunt May when she interrogated him) that it was because he was too busy between work and saving the world; he would have time to settle down later on in life.

He didn’t want to admit to himself the real reason he was so disinterested; no one could live up to the high standards that had been set into place by none other than Tony Stark.

Yes, he had attempted to make things work with MJ, trying too hard to make his attraction and platonic love for her into something it wasn’t. It was quickly realized that it wasn’t going to work out.

The only other relationship Peter had under his belt was with Gwen, the girl he met his freshman year of college. He had initiated the relationship, convincing himself that it just made sense and was something he was supposed to do. She was beautiful, intelligent, and overall a perfect girlfriend. So why wouldn’t he love her?

After a few months, though, she had ended things, citing the fact that she could tell he was distracted and in love with someone else. She had thought it had been MJ. Little did she realize it was actually his dead mentor that constantly haunted his thoughts.

Peter didn’t try to convince her to stay and give him another chance because he knew she was right. She deserved someone who could love her as much as she loved them.

Since then, he just avoided the subject of relationships entirely.

It was shortly after midnight when MJ had to throw in the towel. She had stupidly attempted to keep up with Peter’s drinking, ignoring the fact that he had a significant advantage with his advanced healing factor. He was still quite tipsy, but he was not as big of a lightweight as MJ. Ned had been far more reasonable with his drinking and had taken on the responsibility of getting MJ home safely, especially since the two of them lived on the opposite side of town from Peter.

The three friends said their goodbyes as MJ and Ned’s Uber arrived. Peter waved them off when they had offered to hang around until Peter’s Uber also showed up. He didn’t feel like explaining to them why he hadn’t requested one. He still had business to take care of.

Throwing on the hood of his sweater, Peter stealthily made his way back into the club, fading into the ever-constant group of people moving around. He was good at keeping out of sight. He silently moved until he found exactly what he was looking for; a similarly hooded figure moving away from the bar and out of a side door into the alley next to the club.

Peter slid through the door as it proceeded to close after the moving figure, making sure to be absolutely silent with each step. Despite the large crowd inside, the alley was surprisingly deserted with the exception of him and the other person who appeared to be heading back toward the road to leave. He knew he had to move quick.

In his current position, the boy calculated the best approach given the stranger’s movements. As quickly and effectively as possible, he used one wrist’s web shooter to grab the hooded figure and spin them around while he used his other web shooter to pin them to the brick wall now behind them.

The stranger made a surprised grunt as they struggled to break free from the web they had just been caught in. Pleased with himself, he approached the figure with determination in his eyes. “Who the hell are you and why have you been following me?” he shouted at the figure, yanking off their hood.

Although he knew whose face he would see, his heart stopped.

“Hey kid,” said Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the day bleeds  
> Into nightfall  
> And you're not here  
> To get me through it all  
> I let my guard down  
> And then you pulled the rug  
> I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved  
> -"Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi


	2. When We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finally confronts the mysterious stalker.

The first time it happened, Peter had just turned 17 and was part of an awkward press conference that was designed to repair the aftermath of Beck’s destruction by openly announcing to the world that he was Spider-Man. Of course, he didn’t realize that it was the first time until the second time around, if that makes sense.

He had stood in front of a podium, lights and cameras pointed directly at him. The cheeks of his unmasked face blushed a color similar to the red of his suit. The cue cards that had been written up for him to use were shaking in his trembling hands as he sputtered out their words. 

Peter attempted to follow the instructions that the S.H.I.E.L.D. PR lady had given to him about standing straight and moving his gaze around the people in the crowd watching him. It wasn’t until several months later that he remembered his eyes dragging across a man with a baseball cap, gray hoodie, and sunglasses whose face had a weirdly calming effect on him. His gaze continued to move to the next person in the crowd and that hooded figure was quickly forgotten. 

That is, until 7 months later at his Highschool graduation. As he accepted his diploma, he turned to look in the direction of where he knew his aunt was sitting, smiling up at her in the bleachers as she furiously took picture after picture with her camera. Searching for his aunt in the crowd, his eyes passed across a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt, baseball cap, and glasses. Seeing the man jogged his memory to the press conference where he could have sworn he had seen the same person in the exact same outfit.

He looked just like… 

Before Peter could get a better look, he had been pushed by the graduate next in line to keep moving. The next chance he got to look in the direction of the mystery figure, the man was gone. 

The hooded man seemed to show up during other milestones in his life: his first day at MIT, the day he was awarded the Key to the City of New York, and his college graduation. Each time the man stayed until Peter looked directly at him, which never allowed him to get a good look at him. With that in mind, he used his spidey senses to track the man without direct eye contact for a couple of hours during his college graduation. 

He knew who he thought the figure resembled. He had stared at that face every chance he could, memorizing each and every curve, crease, and hair. Each and every time he would work alongside Tony in his lab, he would get caught staring. And each time Tony would just smile, never saying a word. 

But that was impossible. Tony Stark was dead. Peter had seen the light fade from Tony’s eyes through the haze of the tears blurring his vision.

At first, he thought he was going crazy. Or perhaps it was just his subconscious placing Tony where Tony ought to have been. But after the third time seeing him, he knew that couldn’t be it. 

The only other possibility was it was someone impersonating his mentor, perhaps trying to get his attention. 

Since he figured out the hooded man’s pattern, he was driven to finally catch the man in order to figure out who the hell he was. While his spidey senses did react whenever the man was around, Peter never felt that he was an actual threat. 

Peter was certain that the stranger would appear on his 21st birthday as long as they were out in a crowded location. It took Ned a bit of convincing, but both friends finally agreed to go along with his nightclub idea. Though, as close as he was with his friends, he didn’t dare to explain the mystery man to them. He had been in enough therapy over the last couple of years; he didn’t want to give them any more reason to worry. 

So after nearly 5 years, he finally had the mysterious stranger right where he wanted him. He assumed that throwing back the man’s hood would be the closest he would ever get to unmasking a villain from Scooby-Doo. 

“Who the hell do you think you are? Who gave you the right to wear his face?” he practically spat, keeping a web shooter pointed at the imposter.

“I guess that would technically be my parents?” Tony snarked. “Though my stylist would likely demand credit as well.” 

“Tony Stark is dead,” Peter said bluntly as his voice cracked. 

“Yes, that much is true. Definitely not denying that much. But you need to hear me out, kid. Mind cutting me loose so I can explain?” he asked, pulling at the web pinning him to the wall. 

“Are you Skrull? Is that what this is? I’ve helped your kind; I don’t understand why you’re torturing me with this trick.” Peter was shaking. 

“Skrull? What, no. You’ve got it all wrong, Pete. It’s me, Tony.” There was desperation in his eyes and the sound of his voice. 

Peter paused for a moment attempting to compute what was happening. He had imagined a wide variety of different scenarios of how this meeting would go and not once had he let himself wonder what would occur if the man actually turned out to be Mr. Stark. He threw away that possibility immediately, knowing that nothing good could come from that glimmer of hope. 

Now that he was faced with that possibility, he couldn’t stop his heart from racing madly in his chest. 

“If you’re really Mr. Stark, then tell me something only Mr. Stark would know,” Peter challenged cautiously. 

“Well, that one time we went to Germany, you charged an adult film to your room…” Tony said awkwardly. 

“Wha- why the heck does everyone keep using tha- nevermind!” he sputtered very flustered. “Doesn’t count; Happy knows that.” 

Tony sighed with a pained look on his face. “On Titan, when you…died… in my arms, the last words you said to me weren’t that you were angry, or that you blamed me, it was you saying you were sorry. As if you had let me down. You said the same thing when I died. Because that’s the type of person you are. But you could never let me down, Peter.” 

Peter felt like he was drowning in a sudden wave of emotion, finding it difficult to breathe. “Mr. Stark,” he choked out as he threw his arms around the neck of his mentor, burying his face into the crook of his neck. He could feel warmth of the other man and could smell the familiar scent of Tony’s cologne which solidified his acceptance that he was who he said he was. His tears dampened the older man’s shoulders. 

Tony attempted to comfort him, but still could not pull from the web. “I would…uh… return the sentiment if I could.” 

“Oh!” Peter exclaimed, pulling himself away from the older man, trying to subtly wipe the salty drops from his eyes so Tony wouldn’t see. Luckily, he had a very small bottle of solvent in one of his pockets in the event of an emergency. It was tiny, but it would be enough to do the trick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see your face, it's always on my mind  
> A time and place we almost left behind  
> This time we'll fall in, this time we'll...
> 
> Fall in love when we meet again  
> We can finish what we started  
> Fall in love if we try again  
> And then nothing will keep us apart   
> -"When We Meet Again"-Alanis Morissette


	3. Listen to Your Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter learns the conditions of Tony's reappearance and decides to make the most of it.

Once Tony had been freed, Peter could feel the man’s arms wrapping warmly around him. He gripped tightly as if he was worried the man would float away at any moment.  
Tony finally broke the hug.

The two men chose to sit on the stoop of the building next to the club. Peter sat closely next to Mr. Stark, their legs touching enough to keep that constant contact the boy needed in order for it to seem plausible.

“There’s no way this is real,” Peter said with furrowed eyebrows. “How is this even possible?” Although he looked confused as all heck, he couldn’t seem to stop grinning.

“I’ve gotta be upfront with you, kid. This is only temporary,” Tony said with a frown, looking anywhere but Peter’s red and puffy eyes.

The boy’s grin fell from his face. “What?” he asked quietly.

“I’ll be honest, I’m still not entirely convinced this is real,” Tony admitted with a smirk. “Apparently, I was given a gift when I, you know, died. I was given 120 hours to make my peace with everything I was leaving behind. No restraints; I can go backwards or forwards, see and do anything I possibly wanted. I was told that apparently sacrificing yourself to save the lives of the universe has its perks.”

“By who?”

He chuckled. “I wish I knew, kid. It’s not as if I was told any of the instructions, it’s just somehow been implanted in my brain. I don’t know if this is some higher power mumbo jumbo or if it’s just a hallucination because of the chemicals releasing in my brain in the last few seconds of my life. Or maybe it has something to do with the power of the stones. This is the first time in my existence where I’m not going to try and figure that out.”

“What have you done?”

“I spent a few hours in my past watching some of my greatest hits. I spent three days so I could watch Morgan grow up, see what I was going to miss out on,” Tony smiled fondly. “You should have seen her, kid. Well, you still can, actually. She turns out so smart and so beautiful.” There was a shake in his voice.

“Did she know you were there?” Peter asked, his hand moved in small soothing circles on his mentor’s shoulder.

“She didn’t at first. Apparently, I’m really not good at staying out of sight,” he chuckled. “Either that or the two of you are just too smart for your own good. I’ve been amongst hundreds of people and you two are the only ones that noticed. But I’m so grateful for that. I got to dance with her on her wedding day, I got to hold my grandchild, and I even got to see her accepting a Nobel Peace Prize of all things. She lives a great life and I’m just so grateful that I was able to see.” Peter could tell that Tony was doing his damndest to save face.

As much as he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer, Peter knew he had to ask. “Mr. Stark, please don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you here?” the young man said.  
“What do you mean?” Tony replied with a dash of hurt in his voice.

“I just mean… you have a finite amount of time to be anywhere in the universe. So why are you here with me? Why aren’t you with Pepper or someone else who matters?” He didn’t mean for it to sound as self-deprecating as it did, but to him it was the truth.

“A lot changed after you died, Pete,” he sighed. “Pepper is a saint who put up with a lot of my bullshit over the years that she never deserved. I was a very broken man for a very long time after the snap. Pepper and I… we have always had an endless amount of love for each other, but deep down I think we both knew we weren’t good for one another. But then she got pregnant with Morgan and getting married was just the right thing to do. And after that I did my best to be the best husband and father I could be. But then there was a chance to get you…and the others, back and I had to take that chance. Had to.” He absentmindedly twisted his empty ring finger where a wedding band once was. “As long as Morgan was safe. And I’m sure that Pepper resented me a long time after that, but I had made my choice, and she knew that.”

Peter stared at him, not fully sure about what he meant.

He thought about his own relationship with Pepper. Peter had idolized her; she was smart, she was beautiful, she was powerful, and she had Tony. Not only all of that, but for the first year or so of knowing her, she had been incredibly warm and welcoming to Peter.

Things started to change shortly before Titan, though. Any time he spent time with Mr. Stark with Pepper around, her eyes would be glued to them, her mouth a thin line.  
After Tony’s death it had gotten worse. She was never outright mean to him; she was still just as polite as always, but her eyes changed. He could see sadness and a sense of betrayal that Peter never really understood. She looked at him as if he had somehow caused Tony’s death.

He had tried to be a part of Morgan’s life, offering to babysit or just entertain her, but it was always a challenge. He would only ever get to see her when Happy was taking care of her. It was like Pepper wanted to avoid Peter at all cost, but didn’t want to deprive her daughter from knowing Peter.

“Pepper eventually got what she deserved, though. She got remarried to a really nice guy about a year after my death. He’s what she really needed to be happy.” There was a long silence before Peter realized he had finished speaking.

“But why me, sir? Why not Mr. Rhodes or Happy? Why visit my timeline six times?” Peter couldn’t let his question go unanswered.

“Oh you only counted six? Maybe I am stealthier than I give myself credit for,” Tony said with a cocky smirk.

“How many times?” Peter pressed.

“Eleven times,” Tony admitted.

“Eleven?!” he asked in disbelief.

Tony chuckled at the reaction. “Well, it would have been more if you hadn’t caught me.”

“How much time do you have left, Mr. Stark?” It was a question he had been meaning to ask since Tony first mentioned the countdown, but he was too scared to find out the answer. He wanted to spend as much time with the man as possible.

“Eight hours.” Peter’s heart sank.

“And how many more people or places are on your list?” he forced himself to ask.

“It’s just you, kid,” Tony responded quietly. The younger man flinched at the nickname.

There was another long pause before Peter repeated himself for the third time. “But why me?”

Tony laughed in disbelief “You really don’t get it, do you?”

Peter shook his head, staring closely at the man sitting next him who was currently very dangerously close.

“Speaking of you, though,” he said changing the subject. “Happy Birthday.” He patted Peter’s shoulder with his consistently charming smile.

“Thanks,” the boy responded quietly, unsure if he would ever get an answer to his question. “And thanks for the drink, by the way.” He smirked coyly.

“Yeah I was hoping to treat you to your first big kid drink to prevent you from contaminating your body with some UV Blue swill. But apparently, I was too late by mere minutes. Oh, and you don’t slam a 25 Year Macallan,” he scoffed. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

It felt good to laugh with Tony for the first time in years. “Okay firstly, you were about 4 years late if you wanted to buy me my first drink, Mr. Stark. Secondly, I had the feeling that whoever bought me that drink wouldn’t appreciate that.”

“Rudeness aside, you’ve done pretty well for yourself so far. World renowned superhero, graduated early from MIT, lead science consultant for Stark Industries, dashingly handsome” Tony nudged him. “You’ve got it made, kid.”

Peter wished more than anything that he could control the blush that was burning his cheeks. “Dashingly handsome, huh?” he attempted to joke.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ve got tons of admiring fan girls throwing themselves at you these days,” Tony grinned.

“And guys,” Peter chimed in, though somewhat unsure why he felt compelled to add that.

Despite his only two relationships being female, Peter had always considered himself open to relations of the same sex.

After all, he was painfully aware of the years he spent pining after Mr. Stark and the countless number of nights where Mr. Stark’s name would be on his lips as he touched himself. He vividly remembered the number of inadvertent erections he had to hide when Mr. Stark would show up to the lab wiping the grease from his hands wearing just a sweat covered tank top that was just a little too tight for him. Or the times he would lean in closely to see what Peter was working on, which sometimes resulted in him moving his hands to show him how to use the equipment better.

He thought to himself that if that sort of thing were to happen now, it’d basically be like that really old movie with the ghost making pottery…whatever that movie was called.  
As a result of this intense infatuation, Peter’s extreme lack of closure was caused by an endless amount of “what ifs.” He firmly believed that he was doomed to be alone for the remainder of his lifetime. But now with Mr. Stark sitting by his side, perhaps he could get the closure he so desperately needed.

“And guys,” Tony echoed back. “I wasn’t wrong when I said that you’d be the next Tony Stark, kid. An even better Tony Stark.”

_For the next Tony Stark, I trust you_

Peter felt a pang of guilt as he recalled bestowing E.D.I.T.H. to Beck, believing at one point that he could never live up to Tony’s legacy. He had since overcome some of that insecurity and had accepted that he could never really be Tony, but he could try his hardest to be the man that Tony thought he could be.

_“I just wanted to be like you”_

_“And I wanted you to be better”_

Hearing his approval now, something he thought he would never get, solidified all the choices he had made up to this point. It warmed him to the core.

“I could never really be better than the Tony Stark,” Peter mused.

“Well you’re on the right path, kid.”

He flinched again at the nickname. “You know, Mr. Stark, I’m not a kid anymore” he said with a straight face, staring his mentor straight in the eye. Yes, Tony had referred to him as 'kid' a lot when he was younger, but this was just excessive. How is it that he’s been an adult for several years and yet he’s being called a kid even more now than before? It was almost as if Tony was overcompensating by constantly reminding himself of the age difference.

“Trust me, Pete, I am very well aware of that fact.” It came across as a joke, but neither of them were laughing.

“Mr Sta- Tony… Why me?” He repeated for the fourth, and hopefully last, time.

Tony stared at Peter, trying to think of what to say. “I needed to know…”

“Needed to know what?”

“What I would be missing.”

“So like with Morgan… just filling some fatherly role or something,” Peter finally tore his gaze from the other man in pain. Of course that was why. What else could have possibly been the reason? He was just fooling himself into thinking there was something else behind it.

Tony chuckled, massaging his brow. “God I wish that were it. It would make me much less of an awful person.”

Peter practically got whiplash from how quickly he turned his head back to his mentor, his mind racing to figure out what he could have possibly meant by that.  
“Pete… If you had 8 hours left to live, what would you do?” he asked.

The younger of the two stared intently at him. He didn’t even need a moment to think about the answer to that. The time he spent in silence was to figure out if he actually had the balls to go through with it. After taking a deep breath, he took the leap.

“This,” he said as he gently pressed his lips to Tony’s, framing his face with his hands.

Tony immediately tensed up in surprise, his lips unmoving. Just as he was about to sigh into the kiss, he broke the contact and quickly stood to move away from the boy. He continued moving until he was out of reach. He had the look of being deep in thought, looking anywhere other than at Peter.

Peter knew he should have been devastated at the reaction, but to be honest that had played out exactly how he had anticipated it. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Stark. I just… I knew I could never forgive myself if I didn’t do that.”

He had never seen the older man so speechless. “Peter, we can’t.”

Peter braced himself for the explanation; I’m married, I’m too old for you, I’ve known you since you were fourteen and think of you like my kid, etc. He knew the endless amount of excuses that could be applicable. However, what came out of Stark’s mouth was not one that he had considered.

“That’s not fair to you,” he explained, keeping his distance.

Peter stared at him incredulously, rising from the stoop to be eye-level with the man. “What? Not fair to me?”

“I’m not coming back from this, Pete,” he raised his voice. “Once my 8 hours are up, I’m gone. Forever. I can’t give into these…feelings I have, just to leave you high and dry.” He painfully pushed out those words.

The boy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Feelings? Mr. Stark had feelings for him?

But he hadn’t been wrong. Peter knew that he had a finite amount of time with the older man. Wouldn’t it break him even more if they continued? Or could it provide him with the closure that he thought he could never possibly get? He could finally get an answer to the constant “what if.”

“Tony, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I’m not sorry in the slightest that I did it. I have dreamt of doing that so many times as well as… a number of other things.” He could feel his cheeks burning. “You’ve been gone five years, Tony, but I still haven’t been able to get over you.

I know you only have 8 hours left, but I know I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t take this chance.”

There was a long pause where Tony just stared at him with dark eyes filled with pure lust. Peter could only hear the sound of his own heartbeat racing.

Everything changed in a split second when Tony rushed to close the gap between them, grabbing Peter forcefully. The kiss was vastly different from the first as the two of them both threw caution to the wind. The younger man was startled by the sudden action, stumbling backwards to hit the brick wall behind him.

They desperately pulled at each other, refusing to loosen their grips. Tony used Peter’s gasp to lick his way into the boy’s mouth which tasted sweeter than he had ever imagined.

  
Both men were torn between moving fast in sheer desperation versus taking their time to remember every second. Peter had kissed a number of people in the past, but none of them were anywhere near the experience and passion he was getting from Tony’s lips. It was intoxicating. Peter never wanted it to stop.

Tony’s hands moved from the younger man’s face down to his ass while also pushing him further against the brick wall. Peter followed suit by hoisting himself up to wrap his legs around Tony, using the wall as support, ignoring the feeling of the brick scraping his back. Peter used this change to roll his hips and grind against his mentor, resulting in Tony releasing a breathy “Fuck, Peter.”

They continued to devour each other until they were interrupted by a group of people emerging into the alleyway from the club. They had momentarily forgotten that other people existed and that they were still very much so in public.

When Tony broke their contact, an unintentional whine escaped Peter’s lips. Tony panted “Since I fully intend on doing very, very bad things to you, I think it might be in our best interest to go somewhere with a bit more privacy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there are voices that want to be heard  
> So much to mention but you can't find the words  
> The sense of magic, the beauty that's been  
> When love was wilder than the wind  
> Listen to your heart when he's calling for you  
> Listen to your heart there's nothing else you can do  
> I don't know where you're going and I don't know why,  
> But listen to your heard before you tell him goodbye  
> "Listen to Your Heart"- Roxett


	4. Back In My Arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the smut. Enjoy!

Peter was practically vibrating with excitement as they waited for their Uber driver to pick them up. The two of them were finding it difficult to keep their hands off each other, but they didn’t want to draw a lot of attention to themselves given the situation. 

They quickly jumped in the backseat of the SUV Peter had ordered and were greeted by the driver. “Hi guys… oh wow, has anyone told you guys that you look exactly like Spider-Man and Iron Man?” 

“Yeah…uh…we’re actually professional look-alikes,” Peter responded as Tony chuckled. “Like for parties and stuff.” 

“Oh, real cool,” the driver said. “I mean, you’re a bit old to play Tony Stark, but the Peter Parker is spot on!” 

The boy burst out laughing, staring at the incredulous look Tony had on his face. He was about to say something to the driver, but Peter managed to shut him up with his lips as he removed his seatbelt and crawled into the man’s lap. Tony hummed happily into his mouth. 

Mr. Stark pulled apart for a moment. “What do you have in your ears?” he asked, finally getting a thorough look at the boy. 

“Oh,” Peter pulled out the sensory deprivation devices from his ears. “I invented them to help with the whole ‘dialed up to 11’ thing. It’s something I rigged up after the endless number of crowded events I’ve had to attend since ‘coming out’ as Spider-Man,” he said quietly so the driver couldn’t hear. “It’s actually a fix on something you had in your notes where it takes the –.” Tony cut him off with a passionate kiss.

He gently held the boy’s face in his hands as he stared it to his eyes. “God you are so brilliant,” he whispered in awe. While Peter had been initially grateful the passing streetlights were likely not bright enough for Mr. Stark to see how red he was, he was betrayed by the way his dick twitched against the man at the sound of the praise. 

Thankfully they had only been a few minutes away from Peter’s apartment because they were pretty sure they were starting to make the driver really uncomfortable with the sounds and the groping. At least they had remained fully clothed. 

“Sorry for the mess,” Peter said as they entered his humble abode. “I definitely didn’t think I’d be taking anyone home with me tonight.” 

The apartment was fairly large, but still with a humble feel to it. Most of the furniture was simplistic with the exception of the lab he had set up on one side of the room. Tony recognized the 3-D displays and equipment taken straight from his own lab and smiled with fondness. 

When Pepper was in the process of dividing Tony’s personal lab up between Stark Industries and the Avengers Facility, Peter had somehow managed to convince her to let him keep some of it at his own place, explaining that it would be beneficial to him as an SI consultant. 

She probably wouldn’t have allowed him to keep it if she had known that it was the table that he and Mr. Stark had spent hours at working on Peter’s suit together resulting in Peter’s hero worship turning into actual, legitimate love. It also happened to be the table that Peter had pictured Mr. Stark bending him over a million times. 

Tony touched some of the equipment out of nostalgia. “I’m hoping you didn’t find this dumpster diving.” Peter smiled, thinking back to their first meeting. 

“I tried to convince them to let me have DUM-E too, but unfortunately he couldn’t fit through the front door.” The boy wished he could have frozen time at that exact moment that Mr. Stark beamed back at him causing the butterflies in his stomach to flutter rapidly. Peter closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around the older man’s neck as he leaned against the table. 

“Peter…” Tony started, peppering his face with kisses. “If I do anything you don’t want, please stop me.”

Peter looked at him, no longer smiling. “I want as much as you’re willing to give to me, Mr. Stark.” 

“I gotta ask, Parker. Have you done anything like this before?” 

Peter blushed for what seemed like the thousandth time that night. “I’m not a- I mean, I’ve had sex before. Just never with a, you know, guy.” He prayed that wouldn’t change where he thought this was headed. 

Instead of backing down, Tony kissed him softly, using that as a distraction to trade places with Peter. This allowed Tony to also grind against Peter, his cock twitching with interest again after having lost contact. He smiled into the older man’s lips as the dream he’s had dozens of times unfolded before him. 

He proceeded to push Mr. Stark’s blazer off his shoulders and onto the floor, not once breaking their connected lips and tongues. Peter’s shirt was next to go. He felt very exposed as Tony’s eyes became focused on analyzing his naked chest, his calloused fingers painting over each muscle. Tony’s blown pupils and the absolutely ravenous look he had on his face had Peter’s cock now fully straining against his boxers. 

Peter muffled his moan as Tony licked and nipped up the column of his neck, sucking hard enough for bruises to form again his pale skin. He stretched his neck to give him better access while he simultaneously began to pull apart Tony’s belt buckle. The older man followed suit and began to unbutton the boy’s blue jeans with one hand while the other palmed at his straining erection. 

The younger man tried his best to keep his eyes open and focused on Tony, despite his instinct to throw his head back. He wanted to memorize every last second of what was transpiring in front of him. 

In one quick motion, Tony fell to his knees, taking Peter’s jeans and boxers along with him. “Mr. Stark, you don’t have to-,“ he started to protest despite his subconscious trying to get him to shut up. 

“Pete, there isn’t a person alive who could get me to do anything I don’t want to do,” Tony replied matter-of-factly, taking Peter’s cock in his hand with expertise. “And trust me, my little spiderling, this is definitely something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time.” 

Peter’s eyes widened as his mentor licked a long line up his entire length to the tip, swirling the slit with his tongue. He had to use his super strength to grip onto the desk’s edge to keep his knees from buckling. His fingers were white as he held on for dear life, trying to focus on Tony but not so much that would cause him to come too soon.  
Peter knew that Tony was known notoriously as a womanizer prior to Pepper, but a little known fact was that there was history of him entertaining males as well. It was actually because of that bombshell that Peter realized that his own attraction to both sexes was perfectly normal. 

He imagined that it had been quite awhile since Tony had been with a guy due to his monogamy with Pepper, but given his level of proficiency with his tongue, he could tell it was like riding a bike. Despite knowing that it was generally frowned upon, Peter instinctively grabbed at Tony’s hair. He almost blew his load then and there when he felt Tony’s lips groan around him, reacting to the pulling. 

This was not Peter’s first blowjob, but it was by far the most intense. In the past, Peter being dialed up to 11 made him hyper aware of everything else going on around him, which would distract him and make it difficult for him to get off with oral sex alone.

This time, though, his senses only made him hyper aware of everything Mr. Stark. He could feel each and every muscle of the man’s tongue and throat as they tightened around him. He could smell the mix of whiskey and cologne as well as the scent of sweat and sex that was uniquely Tony. He could see Tony on his knees as he drew in Peter’s full length. It was all too much to bear.

“Mr. Stark,” he cried as an alert to the man, his grip returning to the edge of the desk resulting in him breaking off a piece of it. Tony kept up his enthusiasm, not pulling off from the boy. As Peter’s orgasm rushed over him, the older man swallowed him down without hesitation, licking him clean. 

Peter fell to his own knees as his legs turned into jelly beneath him. He panted as he toppled into Tony’s arms. He didn’t let him get very far before catching his lips again. Peter could taste himself on the man’s tongue. 

A small part of him was beginning to second guess this whole endeavor, knowing that the way things were going Tony would ruin Peter for anyone else. He was already becoming addicted to the way their lips moved against each other. 

The rest of him knew, though, that Tony had already ruined Peter for anyone else the moment he said the words “Mr. Parker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the kind of love they say is wrong  
> It's what I've been waiting for so long  
> Feel you on my body when you're gone  
> We go back to the start when you're back in my arms  
> Like back when we were lying on your floor  
> Hoping no one opens up the door  
> Feel you on my body, wanting more  
> We go back to the start when you're back in my arms  
> -"Back In My Arms" Carlie Hanson


	5. Goodbye To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter spends one final night with the man he loves.

“I wish I had caught you sooner,” Peter admitted as they took a moment apart to breathe. The two slowly got to their feet. Out of habit, Peter pulled his boxers back up with him. He was trying to have what he said come off as a joke, but he knew that it really came off as him wishing they had more time together.

“So I would miss out on seeing what I assume was meant to be dancing?” Tony said. “Not a chance.”

“I’ll have you know, sir, I am an amazing dancer,” Peter replied, somewhat unconvincingly, causing the older man to burst out laughing. “I’m serious!”

“I’d tell you to put up or shut up, but I’m afraid you might pull a muscle before I have the chance to really take advantage of you.” He subtly rolled his hips to rub his half-hard cock against Peter’s leg.

“Only one who runs the risk of pulling something around here is you, old man,” the boy teased as he quickly used his super strength to hoist the other man over his shoulder into a fireman’s carry. “And yes, I’m very proud of that double entendre.” He hurriedly moved to the other side of the apartment where his bedroom was. He carefully dropped Tony on the mattress onto his back with a bounce.

Peter was very surprised to see that his mentor was now fully erect. He looked at the man suspiciously with an arched brow. “Apparently I have a thing for being manhandled. I’m just as surprised as you are,” Tony explained. The boy grinned mischievously as he crawled on top of him to capture his lips, grinding his quickly recovering cock against Tony’s. “Ah, to be young again,” the older man commiserated.

“The whole superpower things helps too,” he whispered before simultaneously biting at his mentor’s ear and rolling his hips yet again, resulting in the most delightful groan Peter had ever heard in his life.

“Oh really?” Tony said with piqued interest. “What’s the most number of rounds you’ve gone in one night?” he asked, somewhat trying to distract himself from being too overwhelmed by the amazing use of Peter’s tongue on his neck.

Peter pulled away for just a moment to ask. “With someone else or by myself?”

He had initially meant with someone else, but his curiosity got the better of him. “Both?”

The younger man took a moment to think the question over. “Two with someone else…” he started.

“Two?” Tony teased. “Kid, I’ve done two in my thirties.”

“Annnd seventeen solo,” Peter continued, a little proud and a lot embarrassed.

“Seventeen?!” Tony wasn’t sure what would blow first; his mind or his dick. “How is that even physically possible? Wait… why is there such a drastic difference between the two?” He propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at the other man.

Peter figured he might as well paint his face red at this point considering the number of times he had blushed that evening alone. “Well, with my whole ‘dialed up to 11’ thing, when you add another person you’re also adding a hundred more distractions,” he admitted. “On the plus side, I haven’t received a single complaint.”

Tony responded with a sly grin filled with mischief. “What?” the boy asked. Despite the fact that Tony was not young and didn’t have any actual superpowers (other than extremely good looks and intelligence, according to himself), he was still pretty strong. He proved this by holding Peter in position with his legs before flipping him over so he was on top, pinning him down.

“Let’s balance out those numbers a bit, shall we?” he whispered, licking his way into the other man’s mouth.

Peter responded by rolling them back over to where Peter was back on top, pinning the older man’s hands above his head, displaying the fact that he was stronger. “Quid pro quo, Mr. Stark,” he growled back. Peter noticed that Tony’s cock seemed to react each time he called him that. “You like it when I call you that, don’t you, _sir_?” That also caused an inadvertent twitch.

Tony threw his head back onto the mattress in exasperation. “God help me, I do.” Peter used that opportunity to plant a love bite on the exposed neck.

“You, sir, are wearing far too much clothing,” he said as he helped Tony remove the t-shirt he had been wearing under the blazer that had been abandoned in the other room.

He had never seen his mentor shirtless before, no matter how hot it got in the workshop. He assumed that he was self-conscious of the jagged scars that crossed his chest as a reminder of the arc reactor that was previously implanted there. Peter’s fingers moved across the ridges delicately, placing individual kisses as he worked his way down the man’s body. He didn’t question why those scars had remained on Mr. Stark’s body, but the scars that would have been inevitable due to the damage of the infinity stones were nowhere to be found.

Tony watched him intently as he moved to undo his pants. Peter had meant to remove them much earlier but had gotten sidetracked by the man’s mouth. His fingers shook as he pulled the jeans off, tossing them to the side of the bed. As he stared at the man’s straining erection, he suddenly realized that he had no idea what the hell he was doing; he had only ever been on the receiving end before.

The only thing he knew for certain was that there wasn’t much in the universe he currently wanted more than to have Tony’s cock in his mouth. He decided to run with that instinct after removing the man’s designer briefs, taking his length fully into his mouth.

“Fuck,” Tony breathed out, his head thrown back.

What he lacked in experience, he more than made up for in enthusiasm and ingenuity. He attempted to replicate a combination of what he’s liked in the past, what he’s seen in porn, and also the techniques Tony had used on him earlier. He listened carefully for the subtle reactions from his mentor, making sure to repeat anything that caused a positive effect. He thought he had been doing a pretty good job when Tony abruptly stopped him. He frowned, wondering what he had done wrong.

“Jesus, Parker,” he panted, swatting the younger man away. “I don’t have superpowers or youthfulness unfortunately, so our night is going to come to a very quick end if you keep that up. Pun intended. You’re sure you’ve never done that before?”

Peter beamed with pride, thriving on the praise the other man was giving to him. He energetically wriggled back up to lock lips, hoping Tony wouldn’t mind the idea of tasting himself. While doing so, he gasped in surprise as he had unintentionally thrusted his bare cock against Tony’s, reveling in the feeling of the delicious friction.

The older man angled them in a way that allowed him to wrap his hand around both of them, using their pre-come as lubricant to lazily stroke them together. An embarrassing whine emerged from Peter’s lips, causing him to bury his face into the man’s shoulder. The feeling was intoxicating. All of his senses were focused on the motion between them.

“Please, Mr. Stark,” Peter whimpered as he started to feel the very familiar warmth building up inside of him. Tony managed to pull his face out of hiding with his free hand, stroking just Peter now with his other. Peter moaned into the other man’s mouth as the stroking became more focused and determined. It wasn’t long before he was spilling out into Tony’s hand.

They continued to kiss languidly, only stopping for the older man to say “See, two times is nothing. We’re well on our way to break your record.”

Peter couldn’t believe how easily the man turned him on. Despite the recent release, his cock wasn’t fully down for the count quite yet. It didn’t help that Tony’s cock was moving against his thigh.

“Please, Mr. Stark,” he repeated, not sure how to ask for what he really wanted. “Please,” he begged.

“Gotta tell me what you need, Parker.”

“Please Mr. Stark. Fuck. I need you, so bad.” Peter was somewhat disoriented by Tony’s lips and teeth on his neck. “I need you to fuck me.”

Tony felt like he would come untouched because of that sentence alone. “God you have no idea what you do to me, kid” he groaned. “I’ll give you anything you want.”

Peter, taking that as a yes, scrambled to grab the lube out from his nightstand. He was visibly nervous in anticipation, never having done anything like this before.

“Have you done anything like this before?” Tony echoed Peter’s internal monologue. “I mean I know you said you’ve never been with other guys before, but…”

“Uhh, I mean I’ve used a toy before, if that’s what you mean.” Tony could hear the wavering in the other man’s voice. After adding some of the lube to his fingers, he began to move one digit inside of himself.

“Give it here,” Tony said gently, seeing Peter’s fingers shaking. “Let me help. But you gotta relax.”

Before he moved any further, the man paused for a moment to take a look at the sight of the boy sprawled out across the mattress. His hungry eyes lingered over every detail of the pale, lithe figure in front of him. “Fuck, you are so perfect, Peter. So unbelievably beautiful.”

If you had told Peter a mere five hours ago that he was going to feel his mentor’s fingers inside of him that night, he would have thought you were insane. Peter was still having a difficult time processing that this was happening at all.

His brain went absolutely haywire the moment he felt Tony’s fingers. The man continued to kiss every inch of him as he moved in and out to stretch him. One, two, three fingers. He groaned at the feeling, his hips involuntarily thrusting as he desperately sought friction. Pre-come was leaking profusely from his cock.

He shouted in surprise at the first stroke against his prostate. “Mr. Stark!” he moaned, writhing around in the sheets and Tony smirked, his eyes never looking away even for a second.

It wasn’t long before he could feel Tony’s cock filling him up slowly. The additional stretch burned at first, but he was already obsessed with the feeling. The sensation definitely wasn’t like a toy. He felt a great deal fuller, more satiated. “Fuuuck,” he groaned, panting as Tony’s cock fully sinks in.

This time it’s Tony’s turn to groan loudly at the feeling. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he sputtered. “So tight. So unbelievably fucking tight. So perfect.” Despite losing more and more self-control each second, Tony waited for Peter to adjust to the stretch.

“Okay, okay…” the younger man exhaled. “Please move. Fuck me, please sir.”

That final sentence destroyed any restraint Tony had left. With a quick and sharp motion, the man pulled out slowly before quickly snapping back into the other man. This sudden movement caused Peter to moan as Tony proceeded to thrust into his heat.

Tony took a moment to pull out and flip Peter to his front to change to a better position. With Peter on all fours with his ass in the air, Tony began to thrust wildly, his fingers pressing bruises into the boy’s hips. With the first thrust of the new position, Peter let out a loud shout as the other man’s cock proceeded to hit his prostate over and over again.

Despite the obvious distraction, Peter did his best to memorize every single detail about that exact moment. The moment that his mentor finally claimed him as his own. His eyes began to water, but he couldn’t exactly pinpoint if it was due to the overwhelming ecstasy or if it was the realization that he was attaining a dream that he never thought possible. His heart fluttered while he felt very close.

“Mr. Stark, fuck, I’m so close,” he panted, trying to use his own strength to fuck himself on Tony’s cock. Tony’s attention turned toward Peter’s neglected cock, stroking it along to match each and every thrust. “I need you to fill me up, sir,” he begged.

“So perfect, Peter.” He continued to tightly clutch onto the younger man to claim him, his thrusts becoming more erratic. “And you’re all mine. God, you’re all mine.”

Those words caused Peter to yell and come with such intensity that the whole world went blindingly white for a moment. He had never felt such an extreme release before. His muscles spasmed around Tony’s cock, sending the older man over the edge. Peter could feel the heat of Mr. Stark’s come as it filled him up.

Both men collapsed into bed, panting wildly and covered from head to toe with sweat. Despite the tears that were clearly in the younger man’s eyes, the two were both grinning madly as they tried to catch their breath.

“Wow…” Peter said.

“Definitely, definitely wow…” The both looked at each other with amusement, smiles pinned to their faces.

Despite feeling like he needed a shower, Peter rolled himself into Tony’s arms, kissing the nape of his neck. Without requesting explanation, the older man wiped away the salty tears that were making their way down the boy’s cheeks.

There was just so much that Peter wanted to say but he had no idea how to properly put it into words. He wanted to yell from the rooftops that he loved this man more than anyone could possibly imagine, but what good would that do?

Tony kissed Peter’s forehead and said something that he wished was because Tony could read his mind. “Me too, baby,” he whispered.

Everything they had done felt so incredibly right, like this whole thing was meant to be. The thought of that made Peter feel so warm and safe and in love.

But then there was that horrible reminder that made everything so cold; Tony had about four hours left. How could he fit a lifetime of loving the man in a matter of hours?

Peter still had no regrets. Even if he was never intimate with anyone ever again, he would be okay with that.

“Well, if nothing else, we’ve surpassed your record. And the night is still young. I’m sure I can get a few more out of you,” Tony said seductively before kissing the boy again. Peter smiled into the man’s lips.

They spent the next few hours rotating between discussing life, telling stories, fucking, and just holding each other staring into each other’s eyes. Peter even got to have his fantasy fulfilled of having Tony bend him over his lab table. The older man had admitted that he too had previously had a similar fantasy.

As much as he had forced himself to remain awake, it became an impossible feat for the exhausted boy as he curled up in the warmth of Tony’s tight and loving embrace. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was his senses overflowing with everything Tony. The man was humming some unidentifiable song while stroking the boy’s hair.

The next thing he knew, he stirred awake as sunlight bleeding through his window blinds hit his closed eyelids. As routine, he stretched his limbs and rubbed at his eyes.

It only took a minute, but memory of the previous night came flooding back to him. His heart was racing as he looked around him frantically. “Mr. Stark?” Oh no. “M-M-Mr. Stark?” He lunged at his phone sitting on his nightstand.

He felt like the wind got knocked out of him as he saw the time.

Time was up. Tony was gone.

He was finding it hard to breathe as tears burned at his eyes. He felt the hollow feeling in his heart just like the first time Mr. Stark died before his eyes. He tried to hold back the tears, but he couldn’t stop. It was just too much to handle.

Then a thought occurred to him: did last night even happen?

There was a faint feeling of soreness, but that wasn’t conclusive. He looked at his hip bones and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he could see the faint remains of bruising from Tony grabbing him. With his healing factor, he was certain that the bruises would disappear in a matter of hours. He pressed on the marks, comforted by the pain he felt.

Why hadn’t Tony woken him up to say goodbye?

His eyes moved around the room, looking for any other sign that Peter wasn’t hallucinating. A folded piece of paper with his name written on it caught his attention. As quickly as his body would carry him, he lunged at the letter. He tried to grab it delicately despite the fact that he was anxious to view it and was shaking profusely. He recognized the handwriting immediately, having spent hours reading his mentor’s lab notes.

> _Peter,_
> 
> _I know you’re likely upset that I didn’t wake you up, but I can promise you that it was for your own good. The most painful memory in all my years of living that haunted me to the very end was the image of you disappearing between my fingers. I couldn’t do that to you._
> 
> _For a man who spent a great deal of his life talking, I’m finding it very difficult to come up with the words I want to say._
> 
> _I’ve been a broken man the majority of my life. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and have made an endless amount of bad choices. But I would do them all again in a heartbeat because it brought me to you._
> 
> _You never once asked me why I did it, which I’m grateful for. I’m sure you think that I invented time travel and sacrificed everything to bring back everyone who had been lost. I wish I could say that was true because it would make me a much better person, but it’s not. It was all for you._
> 
> _A life without Peter Parker was not a life worth living._
> 
> _I just wish that I could have stayed. But I know that this was the only way, and I’ve come to terms with that. And I hope that one day you will be able to as well._
> 
> _I have just one request from you: live your life to the fullest. Don’t let the memory of an old man like me keep you from experiencing everything life has to offer. Don’t be afraid to get out there and find someone to share your life with._
> 
> _Just one last thing. I made a mistake when I gave you those glasses. I should never have said they were for you as the next Iron Man._
> 
> _The world doesn’t need a new Iron Man, it has Peter Parker. And that is so, so much better._
> 
> _Even though I may be gone, my love for you will always be here._
> 
> _Love always,_
> 
> _Iron Man_

Peter tried to prevent his tears from smudging the ink on the letter. He re-read the words over and over again.

Tony Stark had loved him. He wanted him to be happy. He wanted Peter to move on.

Suddenly, an enormous weight felt like it was being lifted off his shoulders. Peter finally felt like he got the closure he desperately needed to be happy.

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye to you  
> Goodbye to everything that I knew  
> You were the one I loved  
> The one thing that I tried to hold on to  
> -"Goodbye To You" Michelle Branch
> 
> * * *
> 
> Thank you all very much for reading! Any comments and stuff are greatly loved. I appreciate those of you who stuck it out throughout this mess and I hope the ending wasn't too terrible! As previously mentioned, this is my first time writing Marvel and my first time writing anything rated about a Teen rating. So please be gentle! And though I know it's certainly not the happiest of endings, it's somewhat bittersweet.


End file.
